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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24242437">Shadows of our Hearts (Shadow x Reader)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/GottaArc/pseuds/GottaArc'>GottaArc</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Shadowed Truths [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Other, Spies &amp; Secret Agents</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 20:20:26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>20,477</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24242437</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/GottaArc/pseuds/GottaArc</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>You were an easy going child, always happy and bright, keeping 'on the sunny side', as they say. That is, until THEY appeared.<br/>Now you are a fully trained killer; and everyone knows it. They fear you; people shy away from your gaze, jump at the twitch of your finger. All of them except a certain hedgehog who walks into your mission and into your life.<br/>(Shadow x reader)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Shadow the Hedgehog/Reader</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Shadowed Truths [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1774030</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>25</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. G.U.N.</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Never-ending concrete. Never-ending businesses, vehicles, useless products being sold in massive amounts. Never-ending people, leading into never ending crowds, and never ending stories. Each blissfully unaware of the problems of another. Blissfully unaware of a young woman taking steady strides towards a corner building, briefcase in her hands. Few heads turned when she entered the lobby; something about her made them uneasy. Something about her reminded many of the cool fear that emanates from a dark alley at night; that strange shiver that spreads across your body at the thought of being watched.<br/>"Mamma! Mamma!" Your small voice rang across the yard. Your mother looked up at you from what she had been doing, a small smile spreading across her lips.<br/>"Yes, dear?" she asked, hardly missing a beat.</p>
<p>"Come here, come here!" You wave her over, clutching your s/a close. She chuckles lightly and complies, taking long strides and quickly reaching your spot in the grass. Kneeling next to you, she looked curiously at what you were so eager to show her. Her smile fell a bit.</p>
<p>There, in the grass in front of you, was the remains of an old pocket knife, engraved with the name d/n.<br/>"Hello ma'am, how may I help you today?" The receptionist says, hardly even looking up from her computer. A collected voice responds with no hesitation.</p>
<p>"I'm here for the 10:30. Business transaction discussing the royalties due on a company called Waffle Dogs."</p>
<p>The receptionist gives her a weary look, and tilts her head to the side.</p>
<p>"And who might you be speaking with, Ma'am?"</p>
<p>"Mr. Gabriel Nicholas."</p>
<p>"...Proceed."<br/>her fingers trailed over the worn initials as if she were in a trance. She gingerly picked up the object, turning it over and over against her calloused palms. You watched with curiosity, wide e/c eyes wandering between the knife and the faraway look on your mother's face.</p>
<p>"Mamma?" You finally ask, breaking the silence that had befallen her. She shakes her head, as if coming out of a stupor. With a tight smile, she folds the knife back up and puts it into one of her pockets.</p>
<p>"You shouldn't ever play with knives, y/n. You can hurt yourself and other people, okay?" There was a slight scolding in her tone, forewarning uses of knives. You nod slowly, although you were preoccupied with another thought. Your furrow your brows, and squeeze s/a a little tighter.<br/>"What's wrong, hon?" Your mother asked, questioning the sudden change in mood. You turned and looked at her with a small frown.<br/>"When is Daddy coming home?"<br/>The question seemed to have caught your mother off guard.<br/>She passed by the desk, walking down the hall behind it. More never ending offices. Never ending doors labeled with never ending names.</p>
<p>She ignored all of them, until she came to one door in particular. 'Gabriel U. Nicholas.'</p>
<p>She rapped on the door with the back of her knuckles; first twice, then three times. The door opened to reveal middle-aged man with tired and sunken eyes, exaggerated by his large glasses.<br/>"Hello, Gabriel," she said, stepping past him and into the office.<br/>"Can I help you?" He asked, sitting at his desk and writing something down on a piece of paper. The door closed itself shut behind the girl.<br/>"As a matter of fact you can, Darin." He froze at the name. She remained unwavering as his gaze fell upon her, with suspicious narrowed eyes. "5236347."<br/>"Sometime soon, honey," Your mother replied after a short pause. You pout in response.<br/>"You've been telling me that for a long time!" You whine, crossing your little arms.</p>
<p>"Just have some patience sweetie, we both need it-" She stops when there is a car that pulls into the driveway. The car itself was dark. The windows were dark too, you noticed. You were somewhat fascinated; you certainly had never seen windows like that! Could they even see out of them?</p>
<p>"Mamma, who-"</p>
<p>"Stay here." Her words were firm, demanding. Alarming. It seemed like she was across the yard in an instant, the screen door slamming behind her.  A part of you was saying that you should really heed your mother's warning; she had seemed pretty angry. But the other part of you was curious, and so you stood and tottered on after her as quietly (but also as quickly) as you could. You peek around a corner, and see your mother with two men, each in a suit.<br/>"Hello Mrs. l/n," the slightly taller one begins.<br/>"What do you want?" Your mother asks, keeping her voice down. But there was still a bite in her tone. "Where is my husband? He was supposed to be back here last month!"<br/>"Admission passed," he sighed, giving up the act. He tipped the lamp on his desk over to reveal a keypad, and he types in the pass-code, hardly giving it any thought. The wall on the right slid open to reveal a metal door.</p>
<p>Another keypad to the side. She types in yet another code, the most recently used one according to her memory. The door slides open and she step into an elevator that could hardly fit two people in it. The metal doors slid shut behind her, safely closed against the world and any intruders that may have ill intentions. There was no indication of where she was going; it was just the steel box around her and the cranking of the metal. The elevator came to a grinding halt not even five minutes later, and the steel doors once again opened. She stepped into a long, empty hallway.  The strips of fluorescent lights gave off a dim, artificial light. One of them flickered slightly; she did not bat an eye when it went completely dark, leaving strange shadows to crawl across the walls. She simply knocked on the door at the end of the hallway, and it opened to reveal an agent behind several large screens and several keyboards.<br/>"I see that you have accomplished your latest mission."<br/>"That is exactly why we are here, Mrs. l/n," the other person continued. "Do you mind if we come in for a moment?" You watched your mother, who seemed hesitant. Eventually, she motioned for them to come in.</p>
<p>You shrank back from view as they passed you on their way to the living room. When they were finally seated, you crept forward and peeked around the corner. You saw one of the men turn and look in your direction, and you jumped away. You waited a minute before turning back to look again, thinking that he must have not seen you.<br/>"Well? What is it that the agency thinks is so important to finally send you out here and give me news?" Your mother asked. She was stiff, her foot tapping impatiently. Her eyes kept darting between the door and the windows of the house nervously.<br/>"Your husband, as you know, went on a dangerous mission about five months ago," the taller man began.<br/>"Yes, yes, get on with it," your mother adds persistently. Your mind was trying to wrap around the situation; agency? Mission? The only thing that popped into your mind at the mention of those words was a image of a person clad all in black with fancy gadgets and sunglasses. Was your dad a spy???<br/>"He went missing three weeks ago. He was presumed dead only a week ago."<br/>"Yeah, I got the job done. Big surprise," the woman scoffed, crossing her arms.<br/>"Don't give me attitude, agent," came the reply. The person, without turning around, motioned her towards a door.<br/>"Just go turn in your report."<br/>"Yes, Sir," the young woman replied. It was a genuine agreement; she gave no more sarcasm. She passed through the door, and into another office. There were no more doors to go through; this seemed to be the end of the maze. She drug her hands across the almost completely blank wall, with little emotion. Her fingers met knives hanging on a tack, and she quickly pulled away from the objects. She sat down on the flat bed, picking up a rugged old torn-up s/a. Her own e/c eyes stared at it's one button eye; the other had fallen off at one point.<br/>Your mother broke down into tears right then and there.<br/>Your grip on  your s/a became so tight that it could have caused the stuffed animal to burst at any moment.<br/>They showed no emotion at all, not even pity. They had enough respect to give your mother a moment of silence; but it was quickly abandoned as they continued.<br/>"We're afraid that we are going to need a replacement agent," one of them began. Your mother's crying slowed as she started to become mortified.<br/>"You can't mean-!" she began, only to be cut off by the other one.<br/>"We want your daughter."</p>
<p>She was on her feet in a flash, hysterical.<br/>"You can't take my daughter! I won't let you!" she shouted. "You've already taken my husband from me, you can't have y/n too!" She was frantic. You were becoming frantic. Fearful. They wanted you? Why did they want you?!</p>
<p>The taller of the two men stood face to face with your mother, throwing her to the ground when she tried to leap in front of them to stop them from coming towards you.  The other walked directly towards your hiding spot.</p>
<p>"Run, y/n! Run for Mamma, baby! Run!!!" She was screaming, sobbing, twisting and writhing, trying to get back up when the man kept a tight grip on her arm.</p>
<p>So you tried. So desperately, you tried. You turned and tried to bolt out, back to the yard, where everything remained calm. But you didn't make it far. His grip was iron on your arm, yanking you backwards. Your grip on your s/a remained, but you fought and screamed and cried with every ounce of willpower your little body had. They shared a look, and the man holding back your mother let go and joined the other, who had you, in departure. Your mother came running-<br/>There was a knock on the door. The young woman quickly threw s/a to the side and moved to her cluttered desk, sitting straight and tall. She shouted at them to come in, and a new woman dressed in black appeared, holding three different folders. She slammed all three of them on the desk, and the girl sitting there simply stared at them for a second before finally meeting the gaze of the other woman before her. Said woman wore a tight smile, with closed eyes.<br/>BANG.<br/>The whole world seemed to freeze before your eyes. You stopped screaming or fighting or kicking. You mother stood for a second, the gun of the barrel still pointed at her head. She first fell to her knees, a few more tears following from her eyes, before her body finally slumped to the floor.<br/>"Ugh, we're gonna have to call clean up for that," the agent holding you began, sounding irritated. The other one put away his gun, shrugging.<br/>"It shut her up, didn't it? Now she won't be a problem. And as a plus, we seem to have temporarily shut up the kid," he says. He wasn't wrong. You stood there, frozen, eyes wide in horror. It was all red, such a horrid red. You had played train on that couch with your mother that morning. Handed her those yellow curtains to put up only a few weeks ago. And now, it was all red.</p>
<p>They carried the still and traumatized you out to their vehicle, placing you in the backseat. They proceeded to get into the front of the vehicle. One of them was already on the phone; you caught phrases such as 'body removal' and 'clean up crew'. The other one, who was driving, turned to you with a kindly smile that did not reach his eyes, forever hidden behind dark sunglasses.<br/>"Welcome, Agent Y/n l/n."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. The New Mission</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Read these," the woman continued. You picked up one of the faded files and opened it, glancing at the first page of information.<br/>Rouge the Bat. Thief. Enjoys jewels and treasures of every variety. Your eyes swept over the filing picture, showing a white bat. You raised a brow at her bright lip-stick covered smirk and playful wink (despite the picture being a mug-shot).</p><p>You threw the first folder to the side and picked up the next one.</p><p>"Your newest mission is to be administered tomorrow morning. You will be given the night to rest, so I suggest you go to bed early. Prepare anything you may want to take with you, because you will not be returning here for quite some time," she states. You were storing her words at the back of your mind, but you were mostly paying attention to the files.</p><p>The second was stranger than the first, reading E-123 Omega. Robot. Created by a criminal mind known as Dr. Eggman. Went Rogue. You threw that file on top of the first one, picking up the last of them. "Your vehicle will be ready and waiting for you in the usual spot, loaded, of course. The mission files will be sitting under the seat in the compartment containing your gun." You opened the last file, and paused for a moment upon seeing the picture. Shadow the Hedgehog. Experiment. Created on the ship previously known as the Arc. Powerful; dangerous. Should be cautioned. His crimson eyes glared at you from the image.</p><p>"Are these targets?" You asked, stopping the woman mid-sentence as she was rambling. She seemed startled by your sudden and bold interruption.<br/>"Heavens no!" she answered, looking slightly bewildered. "These are your partners for the mission!"</p><p>Your demeanor darkened quickly.</p><p>You shot up from your seat, taking the files with you. You throw the files to the front of the desk, towards the woman.</p><p>"Tell the commander I won't take this mission," you state sternly. Walking across the room casually, You take one of your knives off of the wall and fiddle with it. The woman rushes over frantically.</p><p>"The commander told me that it was an order for you to take this mission, and so-" she stopped when a knife was held to her throat.</p><p>"Look, you're new, so I'll take it easy on you...." You trailed off, expecting her name.</p><p>"Beatrice," she squeaked out.</p><p>"-Beatrice" you finished, nodding. "I'll keep that in mind. Anyways, I would much prefer it if you would inform the commander that I will not do this mission." You moved the knife from her throat and she visibly relaxed. You sprawl out on your bed, placing your hands behind your head.</p><p>"But Miss l/n-"</p><p>"Thank you, Beatrice," You finished calmly, but firmly. She sighed, taking her leave. You noticed that she had left the files, and shrugging, you decided to look over them more thoroughly. The hedgehog's in particular.......</p><p> </p><p>***********</p><p>You awoke to a heavy pounding on your door. You, prepared for anything, grabbed one of your knives before swinging the entrance to your room wide open.  You found one of the commander's committee members. And boy, did he look angry.</p><p>You immediately recognized him as Garbo. He marched in, mustache twitching rapidly. He must have been absolutely furious; his entire face was red. You could practically see the steam coming out of his ears.</p><p>""I won't take the mission"," he nagged in a high pitched voice. You deadpanned. Here comes the lecture. "What are you thinking? An order came directly from the commander himself and you deny it? You must have a death wish!" He rants, pacing back and forth across the room.</p><p>"The commander knows that I don't work with partners on anything," You respond flatly, giving him a skeptical look.</p><p>"SO?" Garbo continues. "You can't just deny an order like that!"</p><p>"Who says?" You snap.</p><p>"Protocol, that's who!" He shouts back, waving his arms like a madman. You frown at him.</p><p>"Better watch yourself, you might pop someone in the head with that vein of yours," You say sarcastically, making fun of the bulging masses on his forehead.<br/>"I'll pop you in the head if you don't head up to the lobby right now! Thanks to your attitude, your partners are up their waiting for you!" He hisses. Your eyes widen.</p><p>"They're here? What the hell are the doing here?" You growl, rushing to grab your bag from under your bed. You shove your knives in there, the files, and your old beaten up s/a.  You sling the bag over your shoulder and rush out of your room, not paying attention to the taunting laugh of the person running the computers. Under any other circumstances, you would have stopped to give them a piece of your mind, but you didn't have the time. You practically ran to the elevator, and cursed when the blasted thing took forever to reach the correct floor. You stepped out into Darin's office and he gave you a knowing smirk.</p><p>"Late, are we y/n?" he asks with a teasing tone.</p><p>"Shut up," You respond snappily, sticking out your tongue at him with a mean look. It was gone in an instant, though, replaced once again by your serious demeanor. You walked quickly down the hall and into the lobby, scanning the place for the people you had seen in the files. The lobby wasn't particularly crowded; you'd think it's be easy to spot a bat, hedgehog, and robot. You finally spotted the woman who had brought you the files (Beatrice,  as you recalled), and approached her.</p><p>"Hello, Beatrice," You said. She jumped a mile into the air, turning quickly to look at you. She gave you a forced smile, but the look in her eyes screamed 'fear'.</p><p>"Hello, Miss l/n," she replied, sounding very nervous. "I see you decided to take the mission after all." You said nothing in response, and an awkward silence hung until Beatrice cleared her throat.</p><p>"Your partners are waiting outside for you," she finally stated, taking a guess at what you wanted.</p><p>"Thank you, that was all that I needed to know," You replied, nodding. You walked past her (you noticed that she looked rather relived that you were leaving) and out the doors, scanning the sidewalks and street.</p><p>"Are you always this late, hon?" came a smooth, female voice. You looked behind you and saw who you presumed to be Rouge the Bat. She oozed sass; her hand was on her hip and her frown told you everything you needed to know.</p><p>"I was not expecting to take this mission, Miss Rouge. It was not until this morning that I was confirmed to be on board," You answered, already beginning to walk. She walked beside you, strutting, and looking at every person who walked past.</p><p>"Just call me Rouge," she stated. "And I'll just call you y/n." You couldn't say that you approved of her sureness of that statement, but you said nothing, letting it slide.</p><p>"Where are the other two?" You question, stopping only for a moment before the walk sign appeared to cross the street. They were very noticeably absent, and yet Garbo had clearly said all of them were waiting for you.</p><p>"They decided to wait at the check point, where you were originally supposed to meet us," she responded, hardly paying attention. She was watching a passerby, sending them a wink. You roll your eyes.</p><p>"Which would be?" You asked, taking a left turn. Despite her lack of attention, she stuck to your side like glue, never drifting from her exact position next to you.</p><p>"Your car."</p><p>You came to a sudden, screeching halt. Rouge stopped as well, giving you a curious look.</p><p>"What's the matter?" She asked. "Bat got your tongue?"*<br/>"If they so much as TOUCH my car-" you took a deep breath, cutting yourself off. It had taken almost a week of straight up begging the committee in order to get that car; You were going to murder them, partners or not, if they even leave a fingerprint on it.</p><p>Rouge said nothing, just walked beside you when you started moving again. Well, for a few more moments at least.</p><p>"Ugh, my feet are killing me!" She began to fly. "How can you stand walking for so long??"</p><p>*********</p><p>It wasn't long until you arrived at a car lot towards the outskirts of main-street. It was, amazingly, almost empty, which was deemed unusual for any lot in that part of the city, or the city for that matter. You were used to it, however; there was a reason for it being so empty. It didn't take long to reach your car from there; you were hardly surprised when the red, black, and yellow robot which you had seen in the files appeared. He was particularly easy to spot. You did not catch a glimpse of the hedgehog until you came within a few feet; which actually surprised you, considering that you were pretty perceptive. He was leaning against a wall a short ways away, the only part of him noticeable in the dim lighting and shadows being his red eyes.</p><p>"She's here," Rouge announced, waving her hand in your general direction. "We can get going now." The robot took a step, and the hedgehog stood straight and walked over to the car. You watched all of them with a cautious glare, but unlocked the doors and climbed in. The hedgehog climbed into the back, and so did the robot. Rouge sat in the seat opposite of you. You reached under your seat and pulled out your gun, shoving it haphazardly into your back pocket then using your shirt to cover it. The hedgehog's eyes watched you with just as much mistrust as you watched him with. You threw your bag on the floor of the back seat.</p><p>"Where to?" You asked, turning the ignition. The car roared to life.</p><p>"You haven't even read the mission?" The hedgehog asked. His voice was low; it sent a shiver down your spine, but not quite the kind that meant 'scared shitless'.</p><p>"As I told Rouge," You responded, beginning to pull out of the lot. "I didn't have a chance to read the mission file. It's under my seat right now." You could see him narrow his eyes at you from the rear-view mirror, then turn and look out the window with his arms crossed.<br/>Isn't this just a wonderful start?</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Team?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>You had stopped on the side of a highway outside of the city.</p><p>"Why did you stop?" Shadow demands, glaring in your direction.</p><p>"As I said before," you replied, leaning down and swiping the mission file from under your seat, "I haven't had a chance to even look at the mission." Nothing more was said on the matter; Shadow simply 'humphed' and turned to look out the window once again. Your eyes swept over the words printed on the paper, and you reached back and stuffed the files into your bag. You were careful not to give anyone any glimpse of s/a.</p><p>"Alright then," You mutter under your breath. You push your back to the seat, both hands stiff on the steering wheel. "Get out."</p><p>Rouge sent you a surprised look. Omega let out surprised siren sound. Shadow glared at you from his spot.</p><p>"What?" he growled, a dangerous edge in his tone.</p><p>"You can't be serious!" Rouge adds with obvious disbelief.</p><p>"The mission!" Omega announces, sounding panicked.</p><p>"Take the mission yourself," you snapped.</p><p>"You can't do this!" Rouge huffs. "You're just ditching us? I'm telling you now, hon; you're getting yourself in some serious trouble."</p><p>"Get out." You repeated.  Your voice was flat and stern, with no hesitance.</p><p>"Why should I listen to you?!" Shadow snapped back. You said nothing, but met his gaze in the rear-view mirror. It was like some sort of staring contest; he was testing you, and you were testing him. It only took a second for the both of you to somehow come to a strange sort of agreement, although he didn't seem very happy about it. "Come on," he grunted, opening his door. Rouge frowned, but followed, stepping out onto the road. Omega followed suite, though much more hesitantly. You heard the slam of the door and immediately revved the engine, taking off at a speed that was certainly illegal. However, having a government issued vehicle with an FBI issued license plate made it particularly unlikely that you were going to be pulled over.</p><p>(Third Person POV)</p><p>Team dark stood there, watching your car disappear in the distance.</p><p>"Well, that was rude!" Rouge grumbles, frowning and crossing her arms.</p><p>"She has abandoned the mission," Omega continued. Shadow says nothing at first; he just turns starts walking.</p><p>"Come on," he finally commands over his shoulder.</p><p>"You can't be serious," Rouge persists, though she begins walking as well. "She just up an left us on the side of the highway."</p><p>"It's not far from the city," he replied, with no other comment about you or your motives. Rouge was frustrated, but said nothing else.</p><p>"Are we reporting back to headquarters?" Omega finally asked, breaking the tense silence.. Shadow nodded.</p><p>"We will have to notify the Commander of Agent Y/n's condition."</p><p>"Which would be what?" Rouge snapped. "She never did give us any explanation, ya know!"</p><p>"We have to inform him that she refuses to comply with any other agents," Shadow answers. "She wants to take this mission completely alone."</p><p> </p><p>......with you........(Second person POV)<br/>You kept on the route to the required location; but you pulled over to the side of the road shortly after leaving your 'team'. You began to search your entire car. You searched the whole car, starting from the back (the trunk) and making your way forwards. You scanned every nook, every cranny. And not only were you scrutinizing every last bit of your vehicle, you were keeping a sharp eye on your surroundings as well. You finally reached the hood, popping it up and eyeing the engine. Large compartments, spaces; you name it, you searched there. You didn't find what you were looking for until you tore away the wiring cover.</p><p>Sitting among a bundle of wires, was a small box-like object. You wrap your hand around it, tearing it away from it's place. You turn the tracking device over in your hands a couple times, letting loose only a hint of a smirk. You turn and chunk it out into nowhere, and it flies a decent distance. No sooner than it hits the ground, you jump in your car and take off. The only trace that your car was there in the first place was the skid marks from your tires and the faint smell of burnt rubber.</p><p>It didn't take long for you to finally come to a turn off. Hardly taking the time to press the gas pedal, you speed right. You knew exactly where you were heading, and you weren't taking your time getting there.</p><p> </p><p>......At Headquarters.......</p><p>"She WHAT?" The commander exclaimed. He wasn't just angry right now; he was a raging inferno bringing his wrath upon the group of agents known as Team Dark.</p><p>"She abandoned us, sir," Omega restated, sounding ashamed.</p><p>"And you just let her get away with it?" He asked, bemused and agitated. None of them had a response to that.</p><p>"Shadow?" He began, turning to the black and red hedgehog.</p><p>"Yes sir?" He began, sounding completely unfazed.</p><p>"Find Y/n and bring her back before she does anything that could endanger citizens....or worse, G.U.N.," he instructs. Shadow nods, turning on his heel and walking away.</p><p>"What about us?" Rouge asks, referring to herself and Omega.</p><p>"You stay here. Shadow should be able to handle Y/n on his own."</p><p> </p><p>....section 44, unauthorized.....(Second person POV)</p><p> </p><p>You pulled to a halt in a clearing of a forest, near an old house. It was broken, falling part. Sitting and rusting in front of it was and old truck, crooked and in shambles. You walked towards the truck, watching your surroundings carefully. As an agent, you had always been taught to be aware of your surroundings at all times. You hated to admit it, but it was a particularly useful skill to have. The sun beat down on you in waves and birds sang from a distance. You knocked on the hood of the old truck. There was a hollow sound; there was no engine. You tried to pry open the hood, but it didn't budge. Sighing, you pull out a key and slide it under the hood, unlatching it. The hood lifts to reveal a staircase heading underground. You step into the staircase and close the hood, searching for possible threats as you did so.</p><p>You felt your way down the stairs, keeping your hands on either wall. You reached the end of the staircase in a couple minutes, and knocked on the door in front of you. Two narrowed green eyes stare at you through a latch, glasses reflecting a hint of light from within the room.</p><p>"Password!" they demand, closing the latch. You sigh, slightly irritated.</p><p>"Eppy, let me in the den," you demand, annoyed.</p><p>"Not until you give me the bloody password!" she responds snappily. You groan, rolling your eyes.</p><p>"Bingbongboomypants," you answer. There is a sound of several latches coming undone and the door opens, blinding you with light.</p><p>"Y/n!" Comes the cheery British accent of the fox. Eppy stood in her full glory, a light grayish-brown in color, wearing a huge black sweater and black bow in her fur. Her tail swished eagerly behind her, the tip black but having traces of obvious bleach and dye.</p><p>"I see you still haven't re-dyed your fur, Eppy," You say, offering a small smile to her as you walk inside. She chuckled.</p><p>"Nah, I haven't gone to town in a while, and I've been too lazy to make my own dye," She replies, closing the heavy metal door behind her. She replaces the latches behind you, going down a long line of locks. "It's been a long time since your last visit, love! What's been the hold up?" she asks, waving for you to sit down in the old beat up couch across from her. You do so, and she follows suit, sinking into an old beanbag with a half-sewn tear in it's side. </p><p>"The usual," You begin, looking around. "Mission after mission after mission. I see that you redecorated the place since I was last here."</p><p>"Of course I did! It's been over two months since you were last down to visit!" Eppy responds, smiling. You smile fell suddenly, and you turned serious.</p><p>"As happy as I am to see you again, I'm here on official business," You begin, hesitant. Eppy frowns, but stands.</p><p>"I see," she begins. "Am I by any chance allowed to know what this business is?" You sigh.</p><p>"It's a long story."</p><p>"I've got time."</p><p>"I might not." You both stare at each other for a long period of time, before she finally gives in.</p><p>"At least give me a run down. I know this isn't a routine visit. You've finally done it, haven't you?"</p><p>"Done what?" you ask blankly.</p><p>"You've finally gone rogue."</p><p>You had no response for a long while, and kept quiet before finally settling on a simple reply..</p><p>"Yes." You finally responded. She nodded.</p><p>"Then you're here for some new ammo and upgrades. What are you thinking?" she asks, beginning to walk over to one side f the room. You stand and follow her.</p><p>"All of it."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Tracked Down</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"You are going to have to load carefully now," Eppy began, throwing you a large duffle bag. She swept a large blanket hanging on the wall to the side, revealing a large metal door. "You won't be taking a Sunday drive now that you are on the run." Eppy punched a few numbers into the keypad on the door, and it slid open. A room filled to the brim with weapons lit up in front of the both of you; ammunition, guns, knives, explosives, anything you could think of. Eppy wastes no time; she immediately moves to begin tossing weapons and ammo in your direction. You catch them haphazardly with one arm, holding the duffle bag open with the other.</p><p>"You'll need this, and this, and- Oh! Definitely this!" she muttered to herself. A barrage of weapons and ammo continued to fly in your direction, and it took no time at all for the duffle bag to nearly overflow. Eppy, noticing that the bag was almost full, stood and dusted her hands, looking at the room around her. It didn't seem possible with as much as you had fit in the bag, but the two of you had only made a small dent in the amount of weaponry. You zipped the bag shut (but not before grabbing a loaded hand-gun for just in case) and slung it over your shoulder.</p><p>"Is that going to be enough?" Eppy asked curiously, lightly tapping the bag at your side.</p><p>"It should be. If it's not, I have other sources for ammo," You answered, giving her a smile and a nod. "Thanks."</p><p>"No problem, love! But you must stop by for tea sometime, just to chat," She says, wagging her finger at you while holding the door. You pass through, chuckling, and she closes the door. You hear a 'click' echo, knowing that the room had locked itself.</p><p>"Of course, Eppy, I will."</p><p>She hums in approval, pulling down a long tubular looking device from above. She turns it by handles, looking through it.</p><p>"All clear," she announces peppily, sliding it back up and into it's place. You make your way to the door, and Eppy opens it for you with a friendly smile on her face.</p><p>"Don't forget to stop by, and hopefully one of these days you'll not be on some sort of deadly errand," she jokes lightly.</p><p>"One of these days Eppy," You reply with an equally light tone. She waves goodbye and you nod back (seeing as your hands are full), and then the door closes, leaving you in a black tunnel of stairs heading upwards. You make your way up the stairs carefully, and unlatch the truck hood from the inside before opening it and being hit by the blinding light of above ground. You look around before stepping out, closing the hood behind yourself. You walk over to your car and unlock the trunk, swinging the duffle bag into the space. You push it back some, and then slam the hood shut.</p><p>"That's a large amount of weaponry."</p><p>On instinct, you grabbed your gun and spun around, shooting at the direction of the voice. You hit a tree a ways away; whoever was there wasn't anymore.</p><p>"You're not a bad shot," the voice huffed once again, this time from right beside you. You head whipped to your right and you found Shadow the hedgehog there, arms crossed, staring at the now gaping hole in the tree across the clearing.</p><p>"What the hell do you want?" You asked, aiming your gun at his head.</p><p>"You couldn't shoot me if you tried," he responds, scoffing. Your eyes narrow; he did NOT just insult your aim.</p><p>"You wanna test that theory, you pin-striped jackass?" you question, pulling out your second gun.</p><p>"What did you just call me?" he growls, his hands falling to his sides and his deep red eyes glaring at you.</p><p>"Aw, did I hit a nerve of some kind? I could make you all red, I've got plenty of ammo here," You ask with fake innocence. He growls at you, sending a fist in your direction. You move out of the way easily. Two more. Neither hits.</p><p>Shadow growls again, but this time, takes a breath and crosses his arms again.</p><p>"Look, the commander sent me to bring you back the HQ," he states flatly. You blink at him, then turn and stride to the driver's side door.</p><p>"Not happening," You respond monotonously, moving to open the door. A gloved hand wraps tightly around your wrist, stopping you.</p><p>"It's my mission to bring you back," Shadow continues. "And I'm not about to fail."</p><p>"I have a mission of my own, which I remind you, was given to me by the commander himself," You answer, yanking your wrist from his grip. "I will follow my previous orders." To this, he said nothing. You cast him a weary glance, but opened the door and got into your car. You saw a blur speed around the front of your vehicle, and suddenly the passenger door opened, revealing Shadow. He sat with a 'humph' in the passenger's seat, staring out the window. You raise an eyebrow.</p><p>"What are you doing?" You ask (half skeptical and half annoyed), turning the ignition. The car roars to life.</p><p>"Seeing as you wish to proceed with your previous orders, the only way I can follow mine would be if I stayed with you. So, I'll be going with you," he responds.</p><p>"........I guess that makes sense," You grumble, pressing the gas. You roll out onto the road after a short and bumpy ride through a half-worn trail from previous cars heading towards the old house. The ride becomes smoother, but dust and rocks still fly up from behind the vehicle. You wouldn't hit actual highway for about half an hour.</p><p>Everything was silent; the only sound that could be heard was the slight hum of the tires rolling over rocks and a few of those rocks hitting the bottom of the vehicle. The atmosphere was tense; to you, it felt particularly awkward. You decided to try and break the ice a little bit.</p><p>"So, how crazy is it at headquarters?" You began.</p><p>"I don't know what you mean," Shadow replied flatly. He didn't even look at you.</p><p>"After I kicked you and the others away, how badly did headquarters react?" You clarified.</p><p>"They sent me to retrieve you, didn't they?" he asks in return. You had no response, and silence fell once again.</p><p>Which is why you nearly jumped out of your skin when Shadow spoke.</p><p>"Why is this mission so important anyways?" he asked. You could've swore you heard a slight hint of a smirk in his voice, but it was gone as soon as it was there. You hesitated.</p><p>"You have to promise not to tell anyone," you started slowly. You saw Shadow visibly stiffen, and he finally turned straight forward instead of looking out of the window.</p><p>"Why?"</p><p>"Promise first!" You insisted.</p><p>"I...promise," he finally trailed off.</p><p>"Pinky promise," you demand, sticking out the hand closest to him and leaving the other on the wheel. He raised an eyebrow (?) at you.</p><p>"Isn't that a bit childish?" he question, staring at your outstretched finger.</p><p>"Just do it," You sigh, frustrated. He places his pinky in yours and you squeeze before pulling away and placing your hand back on the steering wheel, satisfied.</p><p>"Now tell me why," he said quickly, demanding your side of the bargain.</p><p>"You read the mission, right?" You asked.</p><p>"Of course," he responded.</p><p>"So then you know that a man named Alfred James Landing is being investigated for the murder of several people and is also thought to be partaking in illegal dealings, including the dealing of deadly weapons," you continued.</p><p>"Get to the point," Shadow snaps.</p><p>"Alfred James Landing was a code name assigned to my father by G.U.N. before he went missing," You comply, getting straight to it. Shadow was silent for a moment.</p><p>"You're looking for your father?" He asks slowly. You nod.</p><p>"After he went missing he was assumed dead by the agency," you continued.</p><p>"How do you know that it's not just some other person?"</p><p>"With the exact same names? I doubt that."</p><p>"The agency does use real names from actual people for their agents. I'd assume that you'd know that, having joined in order to find him," Shadow retorts.</p><p>"I didn't join!" You shout, but quickly shut your mouth. You said too much.</p><p>He gave you a curious look, but knew not to say anything else on the matter. Even he could see that it was a sensitive topic. "You might want to rest, we've got a long drive ahead." The only response he gave was a small 'tch'.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. A Long Trip</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>R/f=random food<br/>"Do you not sleep?" You ask sarcastically, casting Shadow a sideways glance.</p><p>"Do you not shut up?" he responds wittily. You frown.</p><p>"I'm just asking, geez," You grumble. You sigh, noticing that the sun was already falling towards the west. You had gained some major distance between yourself and your checkpoint in the city; which meant all the more space between you and G.U.N. But you still had to watch your back; and Shadow was no help at all. He was only going with you because he wanted to finish his mission and take you back to the commander, and as soon as you were done with your mission, he wasn't going to hesitate. You were sure of it.</p><p>"You are going to have to stop at some point," Shadow points out, looking at you with a bored expression. "You need sleep."</p><p>"Pfft, I've gone days without sleep," You snicker.</p><p>"And unless you want to try facing off G.U.N. agents with no energy I suggest you get rest. There's a little town about half an hour from here where you can stop and eat," he insists, leaning back in his seat and closing his eyes. You are surprised by his sudden demand; it was almost as if he was showing (though in a very crude way) a little concern.</p><p>"Might I ask how you know this?" You ask curiously.</p><p>"Humph," he huffs, turning his head towards the window. "Rouge likes to flirt with a bartender who lives there, and she usually drags me and Omega along."</p><p>You sweat drop.</p><p>"Of course she does......" You trail off. "Hey," You start, your voice turning serious. Shadow opens one eye, glancing from the side in your direction. "You wanna play twenty questions?"</p><p>Shadow scoffs.</p><p>"Why would I want to play that stupid game?" He asks. You shrug.</p><p>"Well, we don't know each other that well. And I'm certain there's information you want from me, and there's information I want from you," You begin. "Think of it as a friendly trade."</p><p>Shadow humms, but finally sighs.</p><p>"Fine. You can ask first."</p><p>You think for a moment, deciding to ask a friendly question first. You weren't too sure how he thought, so you decided to play it safe.</p><p>"What's your favorite color?" You ask. (Arc: READER HAS ASKED THE FORBIDDEN QUESTION &gt;^&lt;).</p><p>"I've never thought about it," he responds gruffly. "How did you end up working for G.U.N.?"</p><p>He's jumping straight to the point; I figured he would, You thought.</p><p>"They brought me in as a replacement for my dad when he went missing," you answer. He furrowed his brows, clearly not satisfied with your vague answer. "Why are you called the ultimate life form?"</p><p>"Because I am," he responded, just as vague as you had been. "What happened to the rest of your family?"</p><p>"My mother was killed by an agent and I've never known of any other family members. How did you join the agency?"</p><p>"I made a deal with the commander."</p><p>The questions shot back and forth like this, both of you giving and receiving vague answers, which had a tendency to bring up more questions. You and him seemed to both realize that neither of you were going to give the other the answers that they wanted. Surprisingly, Shadow was the one who finally broke the chain of serious half-answered questions, which was at around his 12th question.</p><p>"What is your favorite color?" He asked with a frustrated huff. (Arc: THE INFECTION IS SPREADING- Eppy: Shut up and write the story.) You let out a breath of relief; you could relax a bit now that the serious stuff had mostly passed.</p><p>"F/c," You responded, offering a small smile.</p><p>"Interesting," he muttered under his breath.</p><p>"Do you have a favorite time of day?" You asked.</p><p>"Night," he responded immediately. You chuckled.</p><p>"I probably could've predicted that."</p><p>"Oh really?" He asks flatly, ears flattening for a moment.</p><p>"Yep. And that counted as one of your questions," You snicker. He rolls his eyes at you.</p><p>"Fine, less time playing this stupid game."</p><p>"Favorite weapon?" You ask, changing the subject.</p><p>"Guns." He answers just as immediately. You give him a puzzled glance.</p><p>"I meant specifically, there's a lot of different guns......" He gives you a look that screams 'I Don't Care'. You didn't press the matter.</p><p>"Why is there a s/a in your bag?" he asks. You panic a little bit on the inside. You had thought that none of the others had seen s/a; apparently you were wrong.</p><p>"I've had it since I was little," You answer. A large sign passed quickly; you didn't really catch the name written on it, but you assumed that it was announcing the upcoming town. By this time, it was almost dark, the last rays of the sun disappearing behind the horizon. "I'm assuming this is it?" You question, as a rural setting begins to surround your vehicle in the form of a neighborhood. You drastically reduce your speed.</p><p>"Yeah. Take a left here," Shadow instructs. You follow his instructions, heading towards a slightly more crowded part of the town.</p><p>"Where are we headed?" You ask.</p><p>"You need to eat. We can stop at a small café near here; it's small, doesn't get very crowded. We're less likely to draw attention to ourselves," he explains. "It's about six blocks from here, you can't miss it."</p><p>"Why can't you miss it?" You ask curiously.</p><p>"It's puke yellow with a purple roof," he responds. You sweat drop.</p><p>"Oh."</p><p>Sure enough, you came across the café, and it was definitely noticeable among the other more normally colored buildings. You pulled over next to the curb, putting the car in 'park' and then sighing.</p><p>"Come on," Shadow demands, getting out and slamming the door behind him. You follow, slightly irritated.</p><p>"You don't have to slam the doors!"</p><p>"Just quit whining," he snaps, glaring at you. He opens the door, letting you walk in before him, and follows you closely. The inside of the building was quite a contrast to the outside; it had a homely sort of feel to it, and a variety of smells drifted in the air. You walk up to the counter of the café, and a small woman in about her mid-seventies greets you with a smile.</p><p>"Hello dearie!" she greets happily. She looks at Shadow and chuckles, winking at you. "Here with your boyfriend, I see." You felt your face heat up a little, and cleared your throat.</p><p>"I'm/he's not my/her boyfriend," you both state simultaneously. Now it was the old woman's turn to be embarrassed.</p><p>"Oh, I'm so sorry! I just assumed-"</p><p>"Exactly, you assumed," Shadow retorted. You kicked him and he glared at you in return.</p><p>"It's quite OK, Miss," You replied, smiling at her. She returned that smile, relieved that she had been forgiven.</p><p>"What can I get you?" she finally asked.</p><p>"R/f," You answered, pulling out some money to pay for the food.</p><p>"Anything for the young man?" She questioned, sending him a glance.</p><p>"You want anything?" You ask Shadow bluntly. He shakes his head no, and you shrug.</p><p>"No, just r/f," You reply. You hand her the money and she takes it gingerly, putting it in the register. You lean your weight on one foot, waiting patiently for her to get back. You and Shadow stood there in silence for about six minutes. You avoided his gaze, staring straight forward. But you had the sneaking suspicion that he was keeping a sharp eye on you at all times...you could feel his crimson eyes slide over your form every once in a while.</p><p>It was sort of a relief when the old woman came back with your food. You took it gingerly, smiling and saying 'thank you'. She nodded back kindly, and you waved as you followed Shadow out the door. He seemed to be in a hurry; he speed-walked to the car. You furrowed your brow when he walked around to the drivers side.</p><p>"What are you doing?" You snap with more anger than you had meant.</p><p>"I drive, you eat; besides, this way I don't have to keep shouting directions at you," He says. You hesitate, but get in the passenger's side seat. You had to admit, it felt odd, considering that you were used to driving alone. He started the car, and pulled out of your parking spot smoothly. You wolfed down the food you had ordered (not caring what Shadow thought), trying to get the food down quickly.</p><p>"Get some sleep," Shadow commanded after about 10 minutes. You gave him a baffled look.</p><p>"What about you? Don't you need sleep?" You questioned.</p><p>"I'll wake you up if I get tired," he responds gruffly.</p><p>"And when will that be? In a couple days?" You scoffed. He glared at you but made no comment. You turn and look out the window and into the night. You could tell that you were getting close to leaving the town; the buildings began thinning into a simple neighborhood and streetlights became less common. You found yourself drifting off as the streetlights disappeared and stars replaced them, lights twinkling far away from the navy blue sky. The sound of the tires rolling over asphalt hummed underneath you, the engine purring in tune with it. Your eyes drift close, and you drift into a sweet, black nothingness.</p>
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<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Destination to Investigation</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"-/n! Y/n!" You jumped straight up from your slouched position in your seat, suddenly alert. Your eyes searched the area, panicked.</p><p>"What? What happened?!" You asked, staring wide eyed at a completely calm Shadow.</p><p>"For a highly trained agent it sure takes a lot to wake you up," he snickers. You glare at him.</p><p>"Shut up," you grumble, crossing your arms.</p><p>"And you're obviously not a morning person...." He continues. You make no reply, just looked to see where you were.</p><p>"Is this it?" You ask, looking around at the growing city.</p><p>"Yes," Shadow replies frankly. It was by no means small; the streets were busy, with people crowding the side walks and cars flooding through the streets. Shops lined the streets and the buildings got taller the father into the city you got.</p><p>"What was the first lead again?" Shadow asked gruffly, slowing at a stop light.</p><p>"East Ave, there's an informant there who claims to have worked with the suspect in illegal dealings. They agreed to meet in exchange for a pardon to keep them out of jail," you explained from memory. Shadow immediately took a right turn, already heading straight for the required destination.<br/>You couldn't help but squirm in your seat. You were on your way to find information on a person who could possibly be your so called 'dead' father; that was enough to make anyone queasy. And sitting in the passengers side wasn't exactly pleasing, either.</p><p>"Here," You say, pointing at a little red brick building squeezed between two brightly colored stores. People stood staring into the windows of the building around it, but the red one was vacant. A small sign hung in the window, above a neon-glowing eye. Shadow raised an eyebrow (???or would it be an eye-ridge, cause he doesn't really have eyebrows......I have no idea so let's just go with that! ^~^').</p><p>"A fortune shop?" He asks skeptically. "I didn't think any of these things were still out there...."</p><p>"It's not the shop, it's the apartments above it. The owner of the building has clients that rent the empty rooms not being used above. The informant gave us this address so this is where we go", You answered. Shadow huffed.</p><p>"As long as we're not listening to some fraud trying to predict the future......."  You both got out of the car, and you made a mental note to switch places with Shadow when you both got back. You didn't like not having control of where you were going; it had suddenly re-occurred to you that Shadow could at any point fulfill his mission and break his promise to you. He didn't seem like the type to do that, but the logic in your brain argued well with the feeling in your gut. You pushed open the door to the shop, and looked around, taking in the musty feeling of the shop. Trinkets sat on shelves and heavy curtains adorned the windows and two different exits. The only other customer in the shop was a silver hedgehog observing a pack of tarot cards curiously. (Arc: YES I JUST PUT FREAKING SILVER IN A FORTUNE TELLING SHOP FOR NO REASON EXCEPT IRONY). A woman came out from behind a set of curtains suddenly, adorning the brightest colored dress you had ever encountered. Multiple patterns of orange, red, and yellow covered the garment; a strange mix of some sort of traditional clothing and modern art. The woman herself was hefty, with dark sun kissed skin and thick lips. A beaded necklace hung around her neck, making patterns much like those on her dress. Her dark brown eyes scanned over both you and Shadow.</p><p>"Well, well," she began. You immediately noted her accent. "You must be da visitors the Miss has been talkin' 'bout. You're late," she huffed, motioning for you and Shadow to follow. Both of you trailed behind her through more heavy curtains, entering a staircase leading up. The woman finally came to a halt, her brightly colored dress swaying with every move she made. "You know, this client of ours is very skittish, he is. You'll have to be careful 'round him." She continues on walking down a short hall and knocking on one of he four plain doors.</p><p>"Wh-who is it?" Came a shaky voice from behind.</p><p>"It's da Lady's assistant, Marcy. The people are here ta interview you, Mr. Lockway," she answers. The door swings open, revealing a man of skin-and-bones, shaggy brown hair, and with heavy bags under his eyes. His vision swoops first over Shadow with little reaction, and the over you; to which he shrieks and slams the door closed. The woman, Marcy as she had called herself, looks frustrated. "What's wrong, Mr. Lockway?"</p><p>"Th-the g-g-girl!" he whimpers from behind the closed door. "She c-can't come in here!"</p><p>"And why not?" Shadow demands, sounding frustrated.</p><p>"S-she r-r-reminds me-e! She looks like him!!!" He continues. "I'll let the hedgehog in, but not her! Not ever! S-send her away from here!" Marcy sighs.</p><p>"I apologize. He does that sometimes, and to da most random of people. I'm afraid only he can go in. You'll 'ave to come down stairs with me again."</p><p>You frown, but nod, turning to Shadow.</p><p>"Sorry, I would if I could, but-"</p><p>"Fine. Just get out so I can give the damn interrogation," he growls, sounding annoyed. You sigh, and follow Marcy back downstairs. She sends you a curious look over her shoulder as you both walk; you raise an eyebrow in her direction.</p><p>"Can I ask you somethin'?" She begins, finally slipping once again through heavy curtains to the shop.</p><p>".....sure", you reply, slightly hesitant. She gives you a half excited, half pleading look.</p><p>"Can I tell your fortune?!"</p><p>You, slightly bewildered, and only blink at her.</p><p>"I'll do it for free! You see, I'm only an assistant under da Miss, so I still be needin' some practice telling fortunes. I don't get many chances!" You nod your head finally, and she grins, taking your hand and leading you into the room she had originally appeared out of. It was dim, but you could see that it looked like a stereotypical gypsy fortune teller's room, straight out of the movies. Marcy took a seat on one side of a round table, and you sat across from her, soaking in every detail.</p><p>Marcy took out what you assumed were tarot cards and spread them across the table in front of you.</p><p>"Give me your hand", she commands. You stick out your hand in her direction, and she takes it gingerly in her own, waving your hand over the cards and muttering incomprehensible words under her breath. She lets go of your hand and smiles at you. "Pick three of da ca'ds." You weren't really sure of how accurate this whole thing was (and it wasn't logical in any sense of the word) but you went ahead and let your hand float over several of the cards before picking up your first.</p><p>Shadow's POV</p><p>The suspect opened the door and dragged me into the apartment as soon as y/n and the store manager disappeared down the stairs. I yanked my arm away, sneering.</p><p>"Watch it," I growl. The man hardly seemed to hear me, latching several locks on the closed door behind me. He was muttering incoherent words, red and yellowing eyes darting every which direction. I took the time to observe the area around me.</p><p>Clothing, food, and trash was all scattered around the apartment. It smelled like something dead.</p><p>The windows were boarded up, piles of randomized and unrecognizable items at heights of halfway up the wall. There was little to no lighting; a single swinging light hung from the ceiling, and it was so dim it might as well have burnt out already.<br/>I finally turned my gaze towards the suspect living in his trash hole.</p><p>"So, let's get on with it," I demand, crossing my arms and watching him carefully. I could see him shrink under my gaze.</p><p>"Wh-where do you want me to begin?" he asks shakily.</p><p>"Well, you can start by telling me your name, for one," I answer sarcastically.</p><p>"H-harry D-demings," he stutters. I make a mental note not to forget that name.</p><p>"Okay, Demings," I continue. "Start from when you met this Alfred Landing."</p><p>With you......(Second person POV)</p><p>You lifted the first card and looked at it.</p><p>"What do you see?" Marcy asks in a demanding tone. You furrow your brow.</p><p>"A bunch of splattered colors and nonsense," You reply flatly. The card looked like a two year old with crayons had discovered it and went on an art craze; colors flew in every direction with mismatched colors and shapes.</p><p>"The sign of both a troubled and cluttered mind; it is a bad card," Marcy said frowning. "Perhaps you may be warned to fix a problem within yourself or someone else." She sighs, but smiles up at you. "Place the first card to your left, face up. Then pick a second card." You follow her instructions, picking the first card in the row. You flipped it over, taking a good long look at it. Marcy didn't have to ask you to explain it to her; you felt a compulsive need to say what you saw out loud.</p><p>"It's a noose," you say, feeling your throat going dry. "There's a shadow holding it."</p><p>"What direction is da noose pointing?" she questions.</p><p>"It's hanging down."</p><p>"Can you make out any features of da shadow?"</p><p>"No, it's just black."</p><p>Marcy hums to herself.</p><p>"Dhis....is a tricky card. It could mean many different t'ings. It could be symbolistic of sadness. Or it could mean da murder of one's self, or it could mean da murder of someone else. There is no way to know for sure until it happens." You raise an eyebrow despite the tight feeling in the back of your throat. 'The murder of one's self'? That's comforting.</p><p>You move to pick up your third and final card, and are suddenly surprised by the bright and peppy coloring you are greeted with. It's a stitched up but neon pink heart, with wings and a halo. Around it are waves and swirls of red, white, purple, and more pink. Four more hearts adorn each corner of the card, as if marking directions.  You were utterly surprised by this card; you were still drinking in the sudden 'change of fate' when Marcy got impatient.</p><p>"What das it say?" she demands. You let the words flow, the description filling every corner of the eerily silent room. Marcy herself looked confused when you were done.</p><p>"Well, dat's strange......." she trails off, looking at the two previous cards you had picked from across the table.</p><p>"What does it mean?" You ask. You were already taking your own guesses; all of the hearts made it obvious that the card was most likely a love card, but the stitches and halos and strange markings in multiple colors confused you.</p><p>"It's typically of a romantic meaning, but it can also have to do with everyday bonds among family and friends", she begins. "A mended relationship after good happenings or a heart mended after someone is met. Considering the fact that your last two cards were of ill-fate, this might be a happy ending," she explains. You stare at the cards for a few seconds drinking in the information. You shake your head as if knocking yourself out of a trance, then reach out to hand her back the cards. She immediately shakes her head and pushes them back towards you.</p><p>Shadow's POV</p><p>"I-it began about 15 years ago when I met Landing," he starts. He pauses and looks around, as if something suddenly occurred to him. "H-have a seat if you wish!"</p><p>"No thanks," I answer immediately, waiting for him to continue. He pauses awkwardly for a few more seconds before continuing.</p><p>"We didn't really talk much. He'd walk through the office where I worked every once in a while or he'd pass by my building. He only stopped to talk with me after about a month of passing me by. He was very vague; he asked me about my degree. I told him I had a tech major and he asked me to attend him to a local museum. I agreed, and we went the following weekend."</p><p>I was losing patience; this wasn't telling me jack-shit.</p><p>"Go on," I command. He gulps and opens his mouth to speak.</p><p>"Th-then he started asking strange questions about energies and how to harness them correctly. He was trying to be vague by popping the questions casually and at random; but I caught on after a while and asked him why he wanted to know. He said nothing at first, but he turned to me with this-" he shudders, "-terrible, terrible glare. He said that it wasn't important, but that was enough to send me over the edge. I excused myself and got the hell out of there as quickly as I could. A couple years later he stopped by my apartment; he looked way out of it. I let him in because he seemed scared but then he pulled a gun on me!" He growled angrily. "He said that if I told anyone about him he'd kill me! And then he shot me through the shoulder before busting out of my house and back out into the streets," he finished.</p><p>That explains the witness protection he's under......</p><p>"Anything else?" I ask slowly. He shakes his head quickly.</p><p>"N-no, nothing else."</p><p>I close my eyes and sigh in frustration.</p><p>"Dammit.........." I mutter before turning back to him.</p><p>"If that's all I'll be leaving," I say, spinning and heading for the door.</p><p>"Wait!" he screeched desperately. I stop and look back at him over my shoulder.</p><p>"What?"</p><p>"He looked like that girl," he continued slowly. "She reminded me of him...." I hesitated. He looked like her.....</p><p>"You're delirious," I begin, facing forwards again. "Your paranoia is getting to you; it's best to stop comparing everyone to this Alfred Landing." And with that, I left.</p><p>With you.......(second person POV)</p><p>"You have ta keep da cards!" Marcy insists. "Da miss always gives the customers d'eir cards after the fortune as a sign of good will!" You hesitantly tuck away the cards, nodding slowly.</p><p>"Thank you.....?" You replied; but it came out as more of a question than a statement.</p><p>"No, Thank you!" Marcy replies, giving you a big smile. You stand and leave, passing through the heavy curtains once again and through the little shop, heading out to the car. You get into the driver's side, and wait for a while. Pulling out the cards, you let your vision shift between them, drifting off into a far away day-dream. You jumped when the car door opened, and quickly shoved the cards out of sight. Shadows sits with a huff, and raises and eyebrow at you.</p><p>"Something wrong?"</p><p>"No, just thinking," You reply, lying casually before changing the subject. "How did the interview with the nut-case go?"</p><p>"I didn't learn a damn thing," Shadow answers, frustrated. "The only thing we know now is that Landing was asking about converting energies."</p><p>"It's something," you mutter under your breath. Shadow immediately looks ticked off.</p><p>"We already knew he was studying weaponry so we could've guessed he would be looking into different energies!"</p><p>"Yeah but we have an idea of what he might have done to get that information," you snap back, slightly irritated yourself.</p><p>"We don't have any leads," Shadows sneers, crossing his arms and glaring out the window.</p><p>"Yeah we do."</p><p>"What?" He questions, half annoyed and half curious.</p><p>"We know he was studying energies, right?"</p><p>"No shit, Sherlock."</p><p>"Then we start there."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Under Fire</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Hello, we'd like to see all of your records from the past twenty years," You demanded  of the librarian. She held up a single finger, slowly turning a page of the book in front of her. She turned her lazy and skeptical gaze to you.</p><p>"Young lady, I'm not allowed to share-"</p><p>You silenced her, flashing your G.U.N. badge. She frowned.</p><p>"Do you have a warrant?" she questions. Shadow holds up a piece of paper, and the librarian sighs, standing up. She looked annoyed.</p><p>"Fine. Follow me."</p><p>You and Shadow trailed behind her wordlessly, entering a large back room.</p><p>"This is our records room. Records from over 50 years to present day are kept here. The computer is in the back corner." And with that, she left the both of you.</p><p>"Well she's rude...." You mutter, frowning irritably.</p><p>"Come on", Shadow continues, walking off. You moved to go after him, but he quickly disappeared between the shelves, and you lost him.</p><p>"Shadow?" You called curiously. There was no response. Shrugging, you begin looking for information that would be vital to your mission. You wandered down many isles; you carefully noted what it was you were looking at. To your dismay, the dates were getting newer and newer, and you were heading for the corner of the room.</p><p>"T-timmy~" You heard a quiet moan. You jumped; there were people back here?!<br/>Not wanting to discover exactly what they were doing, you turned and walked the other direction. You figured that there were older dates in the other direction, anyways.</p><p>You followed the labeled shelves for a long time, only half-paying attention to dates you had already seen. You finally met up with Shadow, who was searching through a file he had picked up. He looked up, but immediately raised a brow at you.</p><p>"What's wrong with you?" He questions.</p><p>"Nothing!" You answer quickly, realizing that your face was still flushed. It was strange; murder? No problem, bring on the blood; you were used to it because of your training and missions. Romance? Somehow it got to you in weird ways. Shadow frowned, but said nothing. He turned back to the files he was holding, pointing to a single name of 'Alfred'.</p><p>"This shows that a man checked out several books on energy and myths around 16 years ago. He returned them, but-" A loud moan cut Shadow off, and he froze. You felt like your face was on fire. "What the hell was that?" He asks, sounding annoyed. You could've swore his muzzle turned a light shade of pink.</p><p>"I think a couple found their way back here....." You trail off.</p><p>There was an awkward silence between you two.</p><p>"Grab those other three files", Shadow demands, tucking the one he was holding under his arm. You do so, and without speaking, you both leave the area.</p><p>"You'd think that with as much as that librarian cracked down on us, she'd notice something like that....." You trail off.</p><p>"We never speak of that again", Shadow states, taking a seat. His muzzle was still a light shade of pink but his crimson eyes looked frustratingly down at a file he had opened.</p><p>"Agreed."</p><p>You sat down across form him, looking over your own files. A few other people gave you two curious looks, but other than that, nobody really paid attention to you two. Your face had cooled down after a couple minutes, which was a good sign.</p><p>Shadow suddenly threw down his files, looking frustrated.</p><p>"Great, we know he checked out a bunch of nerd shit about energy. That's super useful", he growls.</p><p>"Yes, it is", you reply, pretending to not pick up on his sarcasm. He gives you an annoyed look, his ear flicking irritatingly.</p><p>"How so?"</p><p>"Well", you begin calmly, closing your file and setting it aside. "We now know what kind of energies he was studying. And I now know that he never returned a copy of Chaotic Energies", You reply. Shadow took the file from you, skimming over it himself. He frowned.</p><p>"Damn....."</p><p>"What?" You ask, confused. He shakes his head.</p><p>"I'll explain later, when we're somewhere more private", he continues. He takes out the paper and folds it up, handing it to you. You shove it in your pocket, despite a small voice in the back of your head that felt bad about stealing it. Shadow gathered up the other files you had grabbed, and dumped them at the front desk, ignoring the dirty looks that the librarian was giving him. You both walked out to the car and sat down, you, of course, taking the driver's side. Right as he slammed his door shut, you fired away the question.</p><p>"What is this about Chaotic energies?" You questioned. He was silent for a few moments, crimson eyes searching the outside of the vehicle cautiously.</p><p>"It has to do with something known as the Chaos Emeralds; they have extraordinary powers, and if they get into the wrong hands, the whole world could be in danger." He explains briefly. You hummed. Millions of questions began flooding your mind. How did Shadow know about the chaos emeralds? Exactly what kind of powers did they have? What might Alfred Landing want with these emeralds?</p><p>You were about to ask one of these questions when there was a knock on your window. You frowned but put on your best *fake* smile while rolling down the window. It was a cop, holding a small notepad.</p><p>"How may I help you, officer?" You ask in a sickeningly sweet tone of voice. The officer has an unreadable expression, and you can't see their eyes through the sunglasses they are wearing. Something felt......off. You hand twitches slightly; your hand gun is well hidden and well within reach.</p><p>"I'm afraid......"The officer drawls out, shoving his notepad in his back pocket. His hand glides over his gun on the way. "That you can't help me, Agent Y/n." He moves to draw his gun, but before he can even get a chance to shoot your own weapon was whipped out and he was shot through the leg. You take the car out of park and place both hands firmly on the steering wheel.</p><p>"Hold on", you command Shadow briskly, speeding off. You could hear the desperate shots of the G.U.N. Agent hitting your car; that shot must have dismantled them enough to screw with their aim because they never hit your tires.</p><p>You skid around and drive the other way, noticing a swarm of vehicles beginning to head your direction.</p><p>"How the hell did they find us this easily?!" Shadow growls. You went all out; petal to the floor, speed accelerating at an alarming rate, weaving through traffic heading the opposite direction as you.</p><p>"Don't know, don't care", You respond, "just as long as we get away from them we're good."</p><p>There were shots flying past your car. Many of them were tearing up your exterior, hitting the mark quite well. You growled when one went through your back window.</p><p>"Sons of a-"</p><p>You were cut off by one of the vehicles slamming into the tail end of your car, sending you spinning out of control.</p><p>"Dammit", You growl, slamming on your brakes to try and slow the spinning. The vehicle came to a stop, and no sooner than it did you sped away.<br/>You flashed a peek I your review mirror, noticing that they had suddenly stopped chasing you.</p><p>"This can't be good", Shadow grumbles. You narrow your eyes. Exactly what-</p><p>And then it hit you.</p><p>They had run through this procedure a million times with you.</p><p>You couldn't believe that your had forgotten it.</p><p>You slam on the brakes once again, anger and fear in your eyes.</p><p>"Shadow, we have to-"</p><p>There was an explosion, and everything went black.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Narrow Escapes</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When you finally came to, you were greeted with a slight chill of wind and a feeling of warmth next to you. Your eyes opened slowly and you were greeted with white fur. Your eyes went wide when you finally realized two things;</p><p>1) You were moving at what should be impossible speeds, and</p><p>2) Shadow was carrying you.</p><p>You slowly turn your head and peek in the direction you are headed.</p><p>"What the hell happened?" You growl, struggling in Shadow's arms. He sends you a death glare before looking back at where he was going.</p><p>"The car got blown up. Now I suggest you stop struggling before I drop you and you break something worse than your ribs." You stop moving, reaching to feel your own rib cage. One of your ribs was cracked, but you hadn't registered the pain in your panic.</p><p>"Well that's just wonderful", You mutter. You direct your attention back to the straight-faced Shadow. "Where are we going?" You ask with attitude.</p><p>You were more than a little frustrated; You were a raging inferno. They have the NERVE to BLOW UP YOUR CAR on a mission THEY HAD ORIGINALLY SENT YOU ON?!!!?!? If you ever saw the commander again, you'd do more than just kill him.</p><p>"We're going to visit some acquaintances", he growls back, emphasizing the word 'acquaintances'. He smirks (almost vengefully) at you. "You might want to hold on."</p><p>"And why would I-" you had no time to finish because a sudden blast of wind forced you to warp your arms tightly around Shadow's neck. He grunts, though there is a slight teasing tone in his voice as he speaks..</p><p>"I said hold on, not choke me to death."<br/>*********************************************************************************************************************************<br/>"Hey, wake up", came a familiar gruff voice.</p><p>"Ooh, looks like lil ol' Y/n is rather attached to you, Shad."</p><p>"Shut up, faker."</p><p>You yawn, opening your eyes to find yourself still holding onto Shadow. You jumped away, your cheeks flushing a light pink.</p><p>"And she's awake!" You turn and see a blue hedgehog with green eyes standing behind you, smirking. You pull your gun, pointing it at him.</p><p>"Who the hell are you?" You growl, furrowing your brow. He holds up his hands in mock surrender, though he had the cockiest grin you had ever seen on his face.</p><p>"Woah there! Someone's not a morning person", he jokes. Your eye twitches slightly.</p><p>"Listen, I've had a bad day. I'm sure you're half-decent when you put aside that cocky attitude of yours, so I'd rather not have to kill you for pressing my buttons", You explain with venom lacing your words. Sonic raises a brow, peering at Shadow, who was standing back with his arms crossed. He seemed slightly amused, actually....</p><p>"Wow Shadow, she really seems like your type", the blue hedgehog announces. You pull the trigger, aiming slightly higher than his head just to see what he does. He moves at a blur like speed, suddenly standing beside you.</p><p>"Missed me!" He teases. You raise a brow.</p><p>"I aimed higher than your head, technically you didn't have to move", You reply. His grin falters, but immediately returns. His eyes hold a spark of curiosity and mischief. He sticks out a gloved hand.</p><p>"The names Sonic, Sonic the Hedgehog." You give his hand a firm shake, nodding.</p><p>"Y/n." You release your grip, and Sonic shakes his hand, looking like he was in pain. You deadpan. Oops.....</p><p>"So, Shadow", You begin, turning to face said hedgehog with hands on your hips. "Care to explain a little bit to me?" You nearly blow a fuse when he walks right past you and up to Sonic.</p><p>"You said we could stay with you and the fox for a day or so, right?" He questions Sonic. Sonic nods.</p><p>"Anything for you, buddy ol' pal!" He answers, grinning. You somehow had the feeling that Sonic would have patted Shadow on the back if it weren't for the deadly aura he was giving off.</p><p>"Shut up, faker." And with that, Shadow walked off in a random direction.</p><p>You move to follow him, Sonic walking besides you. You give him a curious look.</p><p>"Faker?"</p><p>Sonic shrugs, giving a sheepish grin.</p><p>"It's a long story."<br/>*********************************************************************************************************************************<br/>It wasn't long until the three of you came to a little house with a garage next to it. It didn't look astonishing, by any means; it was a regular little house, painted a plain blue-ish grey color. Sonic walked right up to the garage and banged on the door with the back of his fist.</p><p>"Hey Tails, open up! It's Sonic!" He shouts to the metal door. Any noise coming from inside comes to a halt. You could hear someone trip (based off the many metal clangs and loud 'ow') before the garage door opened and a little yellow fox covered in smudges of oil was revealed.</p><p>"Hey, Sonic! What's up?" He greeted cheerfully.  His cheerful expression switched to a surprised one when he noticed you and Shadow.</p><p>"Shadow!" He exclaims. "And.....I'm sorry, who are you?" he asks apologetically.</p><p>"I'm Y/n", You reply, holding out your hand. He shakes it, smiling with a shy blush across his muzzle.</p><p>"I'm Miles Prower, but you can call me Tails", he responds.</p><p>"It's a pleasure to meet you, Tails."</p><p>"Likewise!"</p><p>"Y/n and Shadow are gonna be staying with us for a couple a days", Sonic explains to Tails.</p><p>"Shadow too? That's unusual", Tails replies, chuckling. Shadow roles his eyes, but says nothing.  "Come on then, I'll show you where you guys can sleep tonight!"<br/>*********************************************************************************************************************************<br/>Everything was red. Echoes of laughter rang in different directions, dismantled grunts and muttering echoing in an irritatingly incomprehensible manner.</p><p>"Please, please!" You screamed at whoever or whatever was making those sounds. You didn't know what you were begging for, but you felt this indescribable plea rise up in your throat. Your guts felt not only like they were in knots, but as if someone had cut you open and they were spilling from your stomach. You continued to plead for some strange purpose, your own strangled voice spilling from your mouth without your consent. You finally were able to see a little pair of e/c eyes floating amidst the red, and a s/a. Your eyes grew wide at the words that flew out of your mouth next.</p><p>"Don't take my daughter!"</p><p>BANG.<br/>You bolted upright in the makeshift bed. Your eyes dart in every direction, checking for the nonexistent threat your mind had created. Your clothes were wet, and the sheets were damp; you had broken out into a cold sweat. You sat there for a few minutes, evening out your breathing.</p><p>That shot had sounded so real....</p><p>Sighing, you swing your legs over the side of the bed, feet touching a cold hard floor. There was no way you were getting to sleep easily after that dream. You slip on your shoes, and move silently across the house. You stopped in the living room, where Shadow had insisted he sleep, to see how he was doing. You were hardly surprised when you didn't find him there.</p><p>Slightly curious but deciding not to dwell on it, you open the front door and shut it slowly so it won't make as much noise. You turned and was hit immediately by the crisp and cool night air. You take a deep breathe in, noticing the hint of rain in the air. You smile slightly.</p><p>It somewhat reminded you of rainy days back when you were still little, though the memory had faded over time.<br/>The moon was full and bright, revealing much of the area around you. So, with no idea of exactly where it was you were heading, you walked forward. You took notice of every tree and rock, making sure you didn't trip and mentally noting how to get back to the house. You didn't exactly feel like getting lost....</p><p>You eventually came to a clearing on a hill. There were small flowers growing in multiple places and patchy grass, but other than that it was barren. Shrugging, you make your way to the top of the hill. Their was a perfectly clear view of the sky, which meant the stars were easy to see. That, and it made a good vantage point if anything came at you.</p><p>You plopped in a small lump of grass, first scanning the area around you then laying down and looking to the sky. Knowing there was no one around, you voiced your thoughts out loud. It's like they say; if a tree falls in an empty forest, does it make a sound?</p><p>"Hey Mom", you sigh, staring at a particularly bright star south of the big dipper. Once, while out training, you caught a glimpse of the night sky. The star stood out; and ever since then, it's been the home of your mom. You didn't know exactly where people went after they died, but you had a feeling that your mom would have went there, to that star. "Things haven't been the best lately. I finally ditched the agency though......I honestly didn't think I was going to be able to do it." You pause, taking a shaky breath. "For a long time, I thought you and Dad would have been up there, together.....but now....I'm not so sure. He might still be out there......I can't imagine how lonely you must have felt up there.</p><p>"I had a nightmare; I felt like I was you. Remember when I was little, and you used to sing to me when I got scared? I do. I guess the monsters under my bed are gone, but they somehow found a way to crawl into my head.....You gave me s/a because you said it would always protect me, that it was a part of you....but I lost it today." Your voice broke, and you took another shaky breath, recomposing yourself. You knew that your eyes were watering, but you didn't dare let a single tear fall. "I lost all of my ammo and weaponry, my car. Those were important, but I've begun to fail my own mission!" Your hands were in tight fists, wrapped tightly around bits of grass. Holding grass was better than taking out your frustration on something or someone else. You hear a loud whoosh, and in an instant, you're on your feet.</p><p>"Who's there?" You call out in a stern tone. At first, there was nothing. You stood there for a few minutes, fists at the ready. Not a single sound. You relax a bit, furrowing your brow. Maybe it had only been the breeze in a tree....</p><p>"Hey."</p><p>You nearly jumped out of your skin, turning and swinging a fist. Your fist was met with the grip of a familiar gloved hand, and you were met with the intense gaze of crimson eyes. You relax, mouth forming an 'o' of surprise.</p><p>"Hello, Shadow", you say, pulling your fist away.</p><p>"Couldn't sleep?" He asks gruffly, looking around.</p><p>"No", you reply simply. There was a silence.</p><p>"So, you enjoy the stars?" Shadow asks, taking a seat on the ground and looking up. You raise an eyebrow, slowly sitting next to him. Since when was Shadow a conversationalist?</p><p>"Yeah", you answer hesitantly.</p><p>"Which one is your mom?" Your breath hitches at the question.</p><p>"You heard...."</p><p>"Yeah."</p><p>You both sat there for a while, letting the distant sounds of nature surround you. Crickets, owls, an eerily long howl.</p><p>"Black." Shadow states flatly. You look at him curiously, and he returns his gaze. "My favorite color is black." You blink.</p><p>"Okay then-" You began, sounding confused. You hadn't the foggiest idea what he was talking about, but he cut you off, looking frustrated.</p><p>"When we were playing twenty questions, you asked me. I thought about it, and it's black", he huffs, crossing his arms. You pause for a moment, before you begin to giggle, and then full out laugh.</p><p>"You've been thinking about that since I asked?" You choke out. "I had almost completely forgotten about that game!" Shadow simply watched you, a small frown on his face and a slightly pink muzzle.</p><p>"No dodging questions, no being vague", he begins seriously when you finally calm down. "It's like you originally said; there are things you want to know about me, and things I want to know about you." You smile at him kindly, nodding with a hint of determination in your eye.</p><p>"Of course."</p><p>"You can start", Shadow grumbles.</p><p>"Alright.....do you have family?" You start. Shadow hums, frowning.</p><p>"I.....used to. Her name was Maria......"</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Toys and Guns</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Morning, Y/n! Time to get up!"Came a cheerful voice. You groan, eyes fluttering open to a bright light and a joyful looking Tails.  You sit up immediately, confused. When had you returned the house? You didn't remember walking back....</p><p>"Is something the matter?"Tails asks, noticing your strange behavior. You furrow your brows, but shake your head no, offering him a kind smile.</p><p>"No, I'm fine. Just still getting used to my surroundings," you reply, quickly coming up with an excuse. Tails smiles.</p><p>"Ok. When you're ready, breakfast is done!" And with that, he leaves. You remove the covers over you, finding that you were still in your normal clothes. So you had definitely gone out the night before: it wasn't a dream of any sorts. You began to search your mind, desperately trying to recall if you had come back to the house last night on your own. You could easily recall your entire conversation with Shadow, but nothing past that. You stand up slowly, stretching, before trailing after the little two tailed fox. You sat down at the little round table in their kitchen, noticing that Shadow was nowhere to be seen.</p><p>"Have you seen Shadow?" You ask as Tails sets a plate full of food in front of you. He frowns, shaking his head.</p><p>"I haven't seen him all morning, sorry."</p><p>"That's normal for Shad. Always taking off places and being all anti-social," Sonic replies, sitting in the chair next to you. You deadpan; eavesdropper......</p><p>"Like you never run off, faker," Shadow huffs from behind you. You spin in your chair, looking to see him standing in the doorway with arms crossed.</p><p>Your eyes met for a few elongated seconds, and there was a mutual understanding between you two.</p><p>You wouldn't be staying for much longer.</p><p>Shadow sat down on your other side, and Tails took the seat across from you with his own breakfast. You take a bite of your food, letting out a satisfied 'mmmm' at the taste.</p><p>"Do you like it?" Tails asks, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. You nod, quickly shoveling down the rest of your food. You thank Tails politely for the meal, then take your dishes and place them next to the sink. Shadow stands up and walks out the door, no doubt already heading outside.</p><p>"Well, I suppose Shadow and I should be going", You begin. "Thank you both very much for letting us stay here for a night."</p><p>"You're leaving already?" Tails asks curiously.</p><p>"Yeah. We've have.....a lot of business to attend to." You answer honestly.<br/>Sonic frowns.</p><p>"If you ever need anything, just let me know." He says seriously. Surprised at his attitude towards the matter, you nod.</p><p>You said goodbye and left, waving over your shoulder before walking out the front door. You were greeted by an impatient Shadow. He was holding a bag, and tossed it in your direction.</p><p>"What's this?" You ask, raising an eyebrow.</p><p>"Just......look in it. And next time, try not to fall asleep on me." He huffs, walking off. You open the bag, and your eyes go wide.</p><p>There was s/a. They were missing a leg and a little bit burnt, but still there. He went all that way to get your s/a?!?! How had he found them?! G.U.N. would've confiscated all wreckage from the blast, wouldn't they?</p><p>"Are you coming or not?!" The gruff voice of Shadow calls from a ways away. You gently placed s/a back in the bag, slinging it over your shoulder.</p><p>"Yeah, I'm coming!"<br/>*********************************************************************************************************************************<br/>"Sooo....what now?" You ask hesitantly.</p><p>"I was hoping you would know", Shadow sighs. You had both hit a brick wall as far as finding Landing went.</p><p>"We literally have nothing....." you trail off, furrowing your brow. There was only silence for a while.</p><p>"G.U.N. wouldn't have just dropped the mission", Shadow finally states. "They would have reassigned it."</p><p>"And G.U.N. has hundreds of highly trained agents; even if we found the person on the mission now, we probably wouldn't be able to get the info out of them."</p><p>"But most of those agents are after us right now," Shadow points out.</p><p>"More like you," you snicker. "You were sent after me cause the commander thinks of me as a bug, easily squashed. He sends half the agency after you."</p><p>"You somehow forget you're in the top ratings as far as mission success goes," Shadow grumbles, rolling his eyes at you.</p><p>"Pfft, that doesn't matter. This is off topic, anyways," you huff. "How are we gonna know which agent is on the mission?"</p><p>"GUN keeps files and records, if we can get a hold of those we can track down the agent for more information."</p><p>"I knew that....I meant how are we going to get that information without getting caught? It's impossible to hack from the outside."</p><p>"Then we go in."</p><p>Your jaw practically hit the ground.</p><p>"Are you crazy?" You growl.</p><p>"No." Shadow replies flatly. You sigh. There was only one way this was going to happen, and you knew it.</p><p>"Fine. But I have one rule," You begin. He raises a brow at you as if saying 'go on'. "I make the plan."</p><p>And before he had any time to argue, you began to lay out your elaborate scheme.</p><p>******************************************************************************************************************************************************************</p><p> </p><p>Step 1: Shadow is backup</p><p>"I still don't get why I'm the backup!" Shadow hisses angrily.</p><p>"You're easily recognizable and hard to disguise without suspicion. I'm not," You respond, hastily straightening your business-like outfit and the wig on your head, the complete opposite color of your original h/c hair.</p><p>"No one here has ever even seen me!!" Shadow argues, referring to the fact that you had stopped by a checkpoint far away from either of your own.</p><p>"They have an issued warrant on us!" You hiss, sunglasses flashing in an angry manner and hiding your glare from Shadow. "Just stay here unless I give the signal!" And with that, you curve smoothly in your black heels (however uncomfortable they might have been) around the corner of the ally and out onto the sidewalk. You held your head high and pressed your lips into a thin line, holding your suitcase stiff at your side. Those acting classes G.U.N. had given you were coming in handy; you were practically screaming authority.</p><p>Step 2: Infiltrate on 'business'</p><p>"Hello Miss, how may I help you?" asked the secretary. You give him a tight smile.</p><p>"I'm here for the 3:00?" You drawl out slowly and carefully. He types something on his computer, then frowns.</p><p>"I'm sorry miss, but there's no-" A fleeting moment of surprise crosses his expression when his computer shows a notification. Opening it and reading, he turns back to you. "Alright Miss Nicola, you may enter your meeting." You give the secretary a slight nod of appreciation, walking past the front desk. Thank you Eppy.....</p><p>******</p><p>"Hello?" the voice across the line asked.</p><p>"Hey Eppy, this is Y/n. I need one more favor from you..."</p><p>"Yes?"</p><p>"Can you schedule an appointment for me with some officials?"</p><p>"Of course, love! Their defenses on the secretary's computers are surprisingly weak...."</p><p>******</p><p>An automatic door opens, revealing a long hallway. It closes and seals behind you, cutting you off from the outside world. Your eyes scan over the surrounding area. There are 12 cameras down the hall, both hidden and visible. You walk cautiously down the hall and come to a stop at a door labeled 'Tech expert Alexandra Eugene Nattier'. You knock on the door, taking a deep breath.</p><p>Step 3: Get the Info</p><p>"Come in," comes a voice. You open the door and step into the room, looking around you. There were no visible cameras in the room, but you knew better. You were sure that there were at least three hidden; one in the top corner, another on the computer, and another next to the door.</p><p>"Hello Ms. Nattier," You begin politely.</p><p>"Hello, how might I help you?" she asks flatly, not moving away from her computer.</p><p>"Well, I'd like to start with a proper introduction...." You trail off, "I presume that you are Edward Wong Hau Pepelu Tivrusky IV. Man, your parents hated you, didn't they?" You joke casually. The woman turns to look at you with narrowed eyes.</p><p>"Who the hell are you?" she growls menacingly.</p><p>"Ditch the camera footage. And if you continue to reach for that panic button I'll shoot off your hand", You threaten in a surprisingly soft voice. She moves her hand from under the desk and types something in on the computer. You see a notification pop up saying that the cameras have been disabled. You pull out your gun and point it at her, with a blank expression.</p><p>"I need all of the information you have of the Landing case, including any updated information and all of the agents involved in the case," you demand. She does as she's asked, glancing at you nervously every few seconds, as if waiting for you to pull the trigger.</p><p>"There," she states, leaning back so you can see the screen. Your eyes scan the information, making sure it was correct.</p><p>"Print all of it off," you continue. Once again, she does as told. Paper after paper pours from her printer, and when it finally stops, you grab the stack and shove it in your suitcase, gun still aimed steadily at her head.</p><p>Step 4: Escape</p><p>When you finished, you gave her a polite smile.</p><p>"Thank you very much, Edward." And with that, you left. Sirens began to go off, and three agents appeared down the hallway.</p><p>"Stop there! This isn't a drill, you are required to-" before the person could finish, you had shot them. Before the other two could say a word, they were also down. You step over their bodies, marching forward. You pass the panicking secretary, who looks at you with wide eyes.</p><p>"Thank you for the information," You call to him. All color drains from his face.</p><p>You had just passed through the doors and outside when an army of agents came barricading through the doors and past you. You just keep walking, making sure to mix yourself in with the crowd of people walking the streets. You turn into the ally Shadow is in and ditch the wig and sunglasses, kicking off your heels as well.</p><p>"Do you have what we need?" Shadow asks, staring at your suitcase.</p><p>"Yeah. But there are agents pouring in and we can't stay any longer."</p><p>"Time for Step 5?"</p><p>"Yeah."</p><p>As much as you didn't like it (there goes what's left of your pride....), you let Shadow pick you up and speed off. It was the fastest way out of there and you had no other mode of transportation.</p><p>Step 5: Get the Hell Out Of There</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. We Meet Again</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"We should be fine here....for now," Shadow grunts, setting you in an alley way across town. You swiftly begin to remove your disguise, throwing away the wig and glasses. Handing the case to Shadow, you remove the business-like outfit to reveal a tank top and some shorts underneath.</p><p>"Good," You respond, almost distantly. You stretch, and there's a familiar crack in your back as you twist, popping the air from between your joints. You take the case back, sitting and leaning against the wall of one of the building. Your hand lingers over the latch for only a moment, as if hesitating.</p><p>"What are you waiting for?" Shadow asks, sounding annoyed. You shake your head as if snapping out of a trance. It's a little late to be having second thoughts, Y/n! You growl in your thoughts. You quickly snap open the case, pulling out some papers. Your eyes scan over the words quickly, taking in every bit of information you could. Your eyes go wide. Seeing your expression, Shadow raises a brow. "What does it say?" You make no response. You shove the papers haphazardly into the case and slam it shut, shoving it into Shadow's arms as you stand up. "Hey!" He snaps. "What's with you?!"</p><p>"I need some time alone," You respond flatly.</p><p>"We can't split up now of all times!" He growls.</p><p>"I'll be fine," You growl lowly. You didn't meet his eyes. Without waiting for his response, you walk away. You turn and disappear from Shadow's sight, and he is half tempted to follow you. Something stops him; he decides that he should at least take a look at the files and find out what had upset you so much. He opens the case and sifts through the papers. He frowns, seeing the picture of a man that looks an awful lot like you.</p><p>Alfred Landing</p><p>Current position: Research Facility</p><p>Subject turned himself in, claiming to have new and useful information.</p><p>Currently working on the reopened chaos weaponry program.</p><p> </p><p>************************************************************</p><p> </p><p>You were absolutely fuming. That jackass had turned himself in, after all you had been through?! And then on top of that, the commander had the nerve to recruit him again into the old program?! That program had been shut down because it was proven to be dangerous! How could he risk so many more lives like that?! The last accident had killed hundreds of agents. You remember it clearly; it happened while you were still in training. News of the accident had spread quickly, and there was a public uprising at the strange explosion. G.U.N. swept it all under the carpet, and it hadn't been brought up again.....until recently.</p><p>You found yourself wandering aimlessly in the city, your thoughts consuming you. You stumbled into a park, and took a deep breath of the somewhat fresher air. Finding the park mostly empty, you took a seat near a water fountain, blankly looking at the ripples in the water. It was both oddly quiet and exponentially loud. You might've heard a footstep, but it was probably a person passing by. There might have been more, you weren't really sure. They might have been coming closer every second, getting louder. But they still seemed so far away.</p><p>There might have been a hand with a cloth in front of your mouth.</p><p>And your vision began to fade.</p><p> </p><p>******************************************************************************************************************************************</p><p>Shadow is standing in the alley you had left him in, arms crossed and leaning against a wall.</p><p>"It' been long enough," he grumbles, standing straight. He become a blur of black and red, searching the city for you. He furrows his brow, finding no sign of you. "She can't have gotten that far...." Despite his own doubts, he makes a larger run-around, searching a larger portion of the city. Still nothing. Eventually, he's searching the entire city, desperately trying to find you. He comes up empty handed, and back where he started.  "Where's that DAMN girl?" (Author: What? What reference? Whatever could you mean?)</p><p>"She's with G.U.N." comes a familiar voice.</p><p>"Rouge!" Shadow growls, immediately on guard. "What the hell are you doing here?"</p><p>"Oh you know, just happened to be sitting in this alley.....I came here to help you, dumb-ass," she retorts. "You keep tearing up the city like you've been doing and G.U.N. will be breathing up your neck in no time. I'd think you'd know that of all people."</p><p>"Just get to the point," he hisses impatiently, ignoring the clear insult that had been intended.</p><p>"I'm gonna help you get your little girlfriend out of custody," She responds, boredly observing her gloved fingers.</p><p>"What's in it for you?" Shadow snaps. He knew Rouge well enough to know she wanted something.</p><p>"Whatever could you mean?" She asks with feigned innocence.</p><p>"You know exactly what I mean."</p><p>"Oh, that? I only want a little price in return......" She trails off. Shadow remains silent, waiting for her to spit it out. "You know that little gem you carry around with you?"</p><p>"No." Shadow states flatly, turning sharply to leave.</p><p>"But-" Rouge moves to argue.</p><p>"I can get Y/n myself." Shadow cuts her off.</p><p>"Shadow, this isn't like your usual missions," Rouge continues anyways. She trails shortly behind him. "You might be invincible, but I can guarantee you Y/n isn't." Shadow isn't phased. Seeing this, Rouge brings up a touchy subject. "Shadow, you wouldn't want her to end up like Maria, would you?" Shadow comes to an abrupt halt, and Rouge nearly crashes into him because of it.</p><p>There was only silence for a few moments.</p><p>"How do you know about Maria?" He grumbles in a low tone of voice.</p><p>"I've done my research," the bat answers simply.</p><p>"If you ever say her name again-"</p><p>"Yeah, yeah, get over it, Mr. Macho. We've all got our stories," She snaps, cutting him off. She seems to drift in her own thoughts for a moment before snapping back into reality. "Point is, do you want my help or not?"</p><p>Shadow takes a moment before responding. "What do you have in mind?"</p>
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<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Betrayal</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>You awoke in a very strange place. The floor was surprisingly smooth, and cool to the touch. at first, you felt like you were in some sort of dream, just glazing your fingers over the surface and hardly processing anything.</p><p>As if a brick had smashed into your head, reality hit, and you scrambled to your feet. You were hit with a rush of dizziness, and stumbled until you hit a wall. It was rough and bumpy, unlike the floor. As your vision began to clear, you could see that the whole room was white, except for a large 'mirror' and a dark grey door.  You knew that the mirror was most likely a one-way. They were watching you. Your attention snaps to the door as it creaks open, revealing a man that seemed vaguely familiar.</p><p>"Glad to see that you're awake, Y/n," the person says flatly.</p><p>"Who are you?!" You growl menacingly, despite your obvious disadvantage. The man sighs.</p><p>"I'm disappointed. All of your skills and yet you can't even recognize your own father," he responds monotonously. Your eyes widen, but then narrow in anger.</p><p>"You bastard!" you growl, lunging in his direction. He easily sidesteps, and you barely manage to catch your balance before crashing face-first into the wall behind him. "What....?" You trail off to yourself. There's a pounding in your head, like it's trying to split in two.</p><p>"Possible side effects, as proven by testing," he starts. His voice cracks in the slightest, but he quickly corrects himself, becoming a robot once again. "Dizziness, feelings of weakness, headache, exhaustion, and nausea.....though you seem to exhibit none of the last-"</p><p>You barely manage to make it to the only trash can sitting in the corner of the room.</p><p>"I stand corrected." He scribbles something on the clipboard in his hand. You wipe the corner of your mouth, glaring at him.</p><p>"What the hell is going on?! What's happening to me?!" You snap. You don't move from your spot however, feeling a newfound acid rising up your throat.</p><p>"As your legal guardian, I signed a contract stating that I agreed to your punishment for breaking so many laws. You have been signed up for the testing of a new product, meant as an enhancement for G.U.N. agents. My research of the chaos energies has paid off, it seems." Your father stares at you, a crazed look in his eyes and a wide grin on his face. "After, all you do deserve it! After what you did to your mother! It's unforgivable!"</p><p>"After what I DID?" You snap, glaring at him with fire in your eyes. "You're the one who agreed to work on this damn project! You're the one who abandoned us! None of it would have happened if you hadn't left us! You-"</p><p>"And they wouldn't have come if you hadn't ever been born!" He interrupts. He's still grinning, but a tear leaks from his eye. "I don't know why I ever let m/n talk me into having a kid! You, if you had never happened, they would have never came and killed m/n! Or even if you had given up and went with those agents, she would still be alive today!" He laughs a sort of bitter laugh. "Life, isn't it great? It takes what you love and destroys it, all of it!" His laughter roars and echoes in the room until he quiets down to an unsettling giggle. "And now your finally getting what you deserve! Good-bye, Y/n l/n! Until next time!" He slams the door behind him. You remain silent in your spot, his words running through your mind at a hundred miles an hour. This whole time, you were convinced that it wasn't your fault. But was it?</p><p>You vomit once again into the trash can next to you. Whether from the side effects of whatever they had done to you, or from the sickening thoughts, you weren't really sure.</p><p> </p><p>*******************</p><p> </p><p>"This had better work, Rouge," Shadow mutters under his breath.</p><p>"Relax, I've got this. It's perfectly reasonable for me to bring you in, considering I was recently put on your case," she snaps back. "Now shut up before you get us both in deep shit!"</p><p>Shadow keeps his eyes low, playing the part of a defeated prisoner. He didn't like it, but for you.....</p><p>"I'm here with a captive," Rouge states bluntly to the receptionist. She jabs a nod in Shadow's direction, and yanks him forward slightly by the weak chains binding his wrists together. The receptionist's eyes go wide, and she hits a button under the desk. "Of coarse!"</p><p>Rouge 'leads' Shadow past closed doors, and into an elevator. She taps in a strange number code, and the elevator starts moving down.</p><p>"I can't go with you past this elevator. G.U.N. would catch on too quickly. You'll likely find her either in the cells or an interrogation room", she states. Shadow easily breaks free of the chains restraining him, snapping them.</p><p>"Got it."</p><p>"I believe you owe me payment for being able to buy you some time?" She says, holding out her hand expectantly. Shadow growls, but hesitantly drops the jewel into her hand. She admires it with a grin before turning back to Shadow. "Pleasure doing business with you." The elevator doors open, revealing a long hallway. Shadow practically disappears, heading in the direction of the interrogation rooms first. They would likely try to find his current location through you before locking you up. It took him no time at all to find what he was looking for.  He dodges in and out of each room, looking for you. He finally breaks into one room, finding two agents staring through a one-way mirror. He quickly takes care of them, and breaks into the room, finding you, slumped near a trashcan and looking exhausted.</p><p>"Y/n!" He calls, concern evident in his voice. He rushes to your side, and makes a move to pick you up. "I'm gonna get you out of here-" He freezes when his arms pass through you. A hologram. There are several things that pierce into the back of his neck. Darts. His vision starts to blacken around the edges. He spins on his heels, facing a man that looks eerily similar to you. The commander stood in the doorway behind him, looking oddly satisfied.</p><p>"So, you're the 'ultimate life form' my daughter has been working with?" The man snarls. Shadow moves to attack the man, but his own limbs feel heavy and he moves sluggishly for a few steps.</p><p>"He is, Doctor," The commander adds.</p><p>The 'Doctor' shoots him with two more darts, and Shadow falls. Dammit..... Shadow barely catches one more sentence before going unconscious.</p><p>"I expected more."</p><p> </p><p>Meanwhile, Rouge is standing outside of G.U.N. headquarters, admiring her new gem. "Sorry Shadow, it was you or me. And what would you do with this little thing in there, anyways?"</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Cell Stories</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It wasn't long until two agents came in to drag you out to your cell; or at least, it didn't feel like long. It could have been hours. You weren't really sure at this point. They came in and dragged you to your feet, bringing you stumbling out of the room. As soon as you moved, you were overcame with a strong dizziness; you were doing good to stay upright, let alone walk. Nevertheless, the agents forced you up and out of the room, taking you to the cells. They shoved you into an empty one (at least you hoped it was empty; you really didn't want to deal with some felon while in this state. You couldn't really see straight to tell if there was someone else in there for the life of you, either....) and you fell to the floor, not bothering to move from your spot. The door slammed shut behind you, and there was a loud clicking of locks. You stayed there for a few minutes, not daring to move. You finally sat up slowly, looking around. You crawled a short ways, hoping you wouldn't knock into anything (or anyone) in the process. Your vision was finally beginning to clear up; everything stopped spinning and started to come into focus once again. You were able to make out the shape of your cell, at the least; where the bed was, where the toilet was....</p><p>And you noticed a strange pile of black something-or-another in the corner of the room. Black, and red.....</p><p>That's when it hit you that it was Shadow.</p><p>You practically leapt to his side, a dull panic setting in.</p><p>"Shadow? Shadow?!" You tap him, making an attempt to wake him up. He grunts slightly, but it's faint. You breathe a sigh of relief, and decide to simply sit on the floor in front of him. You'd wait for him to wake up; it was no use trying to get him up right now. He was out.</p><p>That left just you and your thoughts. Alone together in a cell. Your mind continued to wander rampantly, carrying by every emotion within you. The topic your father had brought up remained in your mind. One thought led to another, and they all began to meddle together across multiple different topics.</p><p>Was it my fault? It couldn't have been! But you were the whole reason that they had come in the first place.....I had no control over what happened. I didn't even know that they would be coming for me. Perhaps, but what of you now? You don't know what is happening to you......I can't worry about that now, I need to wait for Shadow to wake up and we need to get out of here.....Ah yes, what will Shadow think? You're the reason he's in this cell right now! But it was his choice to come after me, he should have just let me go. But I wonder who persuaded him to come along and help you? He could have easily turned on me at any time! But he didn't. And now he's here, and just like with your mother, you caused all of it.....I.....caused.....all of it.......</p><p>"I caused all of this......" You hadn't even realized you were crying,  and to be frank, you honestly didn't care. You had held up a dam too long; your whole life almost. And all of the emotions suddenly broke through it.</p><p>You stiffened when a pair of arms suddenly wrapped you in a hug from behind. But it wasn't long before you were letting everything out, telling Shadow every thing that had happened and every thought passing through your head. He didn't say anything; he simply listened the whole time, his head resting gently against your back.</p><p>You sniffled, finally calming down slightly. It was silent for a few moments.</p><p>"Feeling any better?" Shadow asked softly. It was a strange thing to hear; Shadow never spoke softly. But it was a pleasant change, to say the least. You sighed.</p><p>"Yes and no.....how are you feeling?" You ask, slightly worried.</p><p>"I'll live." Shadow responded, once again using his usual gruff tone. You lean against him only slightly, a forlorn expression on your face.</p><p>"What do we do now?" You ask flatly. "We can't break out without being seriously injured; they've got guards and weapons everywhere her. And if we did somehow manage to break out, they'd still be after us....." Shadow made no response, only embraced you a little tighter. "We've gotta think of something......" He still made no response. You grew a bit frustrated. "Shadow, we're in a dire situation here! I could use some help figuring out what to do!" You received a low grunt in response. You furrow your brows. What the hell was with this hedgehog?! You spin in his arms, anger blazing in your eyes.</p><p>"Shadow, we-!" You were cut off by a pair of lips on your own. Your first instinct was to slap Shadow, but you stopped yourself. Something about this kiss felt.......nice. His lips were rough, as if he really didn't take care of them; but they were warm against your own. Something within you sparked; you couldn't help but kiss back, if only a little. Shadow pulled away almost as soon as you did, however.</p><p>"Just shut up for a few moments!" He growls, not meeting your eyes. "I'm trying to think of something, but nothing I can think of doesn't involve the possibility of you getting hurt....or worse......"</p><p>You were slightly surprised, but your gaze softened.</p><p>"......okay......." You mutter. It was completely silent for a little while, both of you just sitting there in thought.</p><p>"Oh dear, am I interrupting something?" comes a snarky voice. You both jump away from each other and look up to find your father standing outside of the cell. You stand up shakily.</p><p>"What the hell are you planning to do with us?!" You demand. He writes something down on his clipboard.</p><p>"Patient is beginning to stabilize...." He mutters. Shadow says nothing, but the anger in his glare spoke a million words.</p><p>"Well, dearest daughter, I suppose you'll have to find out...." he motions his hand, and several G.U.N. agents rush in, grabbing you. You struggle immensely, but you're still weak. Shadow growls, knocking down two of the agents with ease. One of the agents holding you lets go, attacking Shadow with some sort of electrical device. Shadow stiffens, almost unable to move.</p><p>"Shadow!" You call back worriedly, noticing his sudden immobility.</p><p>At first, he just gets angrier and fights. He turns around and punches the agent shocking him, and another rushes at him with the same type of device. While he turns to fight off this agent, your father rushes over, stabbing him in the neck with a needle filled with some sort of strange liquid. Shadow freezes. The whole world seems to stop.</p><p>"Sorry...." he falls to the ground in a heap.</p><p>You just watched, eyes wide with horror.</p><p>"There, that should keep him under control......." Your father sighs, putting the now empty needle in his coat pocket. You pull against the agent holding you with a sudden and surprising strength. Another agent rushed to help them, grabbing onto your other arm.</p><p>"You bastard!" You growl.</p><p>"Oh, calm down," Your father scoffs. "It's not like he's dead. That'd be quite a waste of power." You glared at him. Someone grabbed Shadow by the arm, dragging him behind them on the ground like some sort of rag doll. If you could have killed them all with only the look you were giving them, not a soul would be left.</p>
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<a name="section0013"><h2>13. In the End</h2></a>
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    <p>They took you to a large tech-filled room. It was actually rather basic looking for being a G.U.N. lab. You were still thrashing about, trying to find some way to get loose.</p><p>"Such a persistent little brat, you are!" Your father snarls, standing behind some sort of control center. "I'd think you would have been taught better than that!"</p><p>"You weren't there to teach me so how would you know?!" You spit at him. The agent carrying Shadow throws him into some sort of strange container, and a glass door slides upward, closing him in. A strange liquid begins to fill the case.</p><p>"What are you doing to him?!" You shout, knocking one of the agents off of you. They quickly regain themselves and latch back onto you. "If you keep that up he'll drown!"</p><p>"Oh, will he now?" Your father asks dryly. He looks past you and to the agents holding you. "Load her up as well." Your eyes widen, and you screech, struggling as hard as you can. You throw the weaker agent, but the other one continues to hold you and drags you back, towards a container much like Shadow's. He shoves you in, and the glass quickly closes. You can feel tears streaming down your eyes, but you beat the glass with all your might. The strange liquid begins to fill in, quickly rising. It's at your ankles.....now your knees......Your vision is beginning to blur.......there's a small crack in the glass......but everything is getting dark.....</p><p>The last thing you see before blacking out is the quiet Shadow, looking asleep in the strange liquid.</p><p>*********************</p><p>"Is it done?" The Commander asks, walking up to Alfred Landing with a blank expression.</p><p>"Yes, sir." He replies simply. "They have both been put into a stasis, Commander."</p><p>"Have you input your studies and results into G.U.N. systems and files?"</p><p>"Yes sir."</p><p>There was a pause as the Commander looked upon the two containment vessels. "Then we have no further use for you." There was a gunshot, and Alfred Landing fell to the ground. "I sincerely hope you enjoy meeting your wife again." The commander turns, looking at the other G.U.N. agents. "Dispose of this body." And with that, he leaves. "This whole thing has just been one big mess....."</p><p> </p><p>One Year Later.....</p><p> </p><p>You woke up in a strange room. In fact, everything was strange. Your own body felt like it shouldn't be there.</p><p>"W-where am I?" You ask, sitting up slowly. You found that even moving was a sort of phenomena. You look over your own hand, somewhat amazed by its very presence in front of you. "Who am I?"</p><p>"Your name is Y/n. Agent Y/n of G.U.N." Comes a sudden voice. You jump to your feet, taking up a strange stance, to your own surprise. "At ease, soldier....." A woman appears with a tight smile. "I'm Beatrice. I'm here to help you remember what happened. Please, sit back down." Not really knowing what else you could do, you take a seat. The woman remains where she is. "Unfortunately, you were involved in an accident a few months ago, which placed you in comatose and has wiped your memories. You woke once last month, and you have been in rehab ever since. We believe that you can return to work now." She offers yet another tight smile. "We have a new mission for you."</p><p>All of this was rattling your brain. Your head hurt. "Really?" You ask slowly. The woman, Beatrice, nods at you.</p><p>"Yes, but seeing as it is your first mission back, we will be assigning you a partner." She turns sharply on her heel. "Please follow me."</p><p>You stand up, not knowing what else you really could do. You pause by the door, looking at a little s/a sitting on the desk. Why did that rugged old thing seem so familiar.....</p><p>"Agent Y/n, I advise that you hurry up," Beatrice calls over her shoulder sternly. You nod, jogging to catch up with her.</p><p>"Sorry...." You mutter, walking closely behind her. She turns down a hallway, and opens a door that leads out into a lobby of some sort. You look around. All of this felt so familiar....maybe it was because you had been here before while working. She had said you worked here before getting into that accident. You nearly crash into Beatrice when she comes to a sudden halt.</p><p>"Agent Y/n, I would like you to meet your new partner." You step to the side, looking to where she was motioning.</p><p>E/c eyes met crimson eyes.</p><p>"Agent Shadow, this is your new partner, Agent Y/n."</p>
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